Spatial Organization Of A Neural Network For Serial-Order Behavior

大脑是如何创造有序的行为序列的？行为的序列顺序问题渗透到人类语言，演奏乐器的能力，或任何其他人类或动物的意图只有在几个行为手势以特定顺序链接在一起时才能有效沟通的活动中。大脑如何完成这项任务目前尚不清楚。一种方法是使用一种动物模型（一种鸣禽，斑胸草雀），在这种动物模型中，负责歌唱音节序列排序的大脑区域已经被识别出来（称为“HVC”，缩写是正确的名称）。这个项目将研究一个假设，即歌曲音节的序列顺序是在HVC神经元的几个空间排列链上映射的。这一假设是基于初步数据，表明唱歌时HVC神经活动主要局限于单一空间轴。实验将描述HVC神经元连接的空间组织和电生理特性。基于HVC神经元特性的计算模型将被用于发现产生有序、连续的神经活动模式的网络配置。模型将在行为正常的鸟类身上进行断路实验来验证。研究结果将提供动物大脑用于创建行为秩序和序列的网络架构的第一眼，这反过来将提供一个计算平台，以了解学习新行为序列的过程如何利用或塑造这种架构。该研究计划协调了来自三个不同院系（心理学、数学和统计学）的教师研究团队的活动，为研究生和本科生提供了接触本院系以外的教师研究人员的专业知识的机会。计算软件工具以及该项目的数据将在http://www.math.fsu.edu/~bertram/software/birdsong/和http://www.songbirdscience.com上向公众提供。

How does the brain create orderly sequences of behavior? The problem of serial order in behavior permeates human language, the ability to play a musical instrument, or any number of other activities where human or animal intent can only be effectively communicated if several behavioral gestures are chained together in a specific sequence. How the brain accomplishes this task is currently unknown. One approach is to use an animal model (a songbird, the zebra finch) in which the brain region responsible for the serial ordering of song syllables has been identified (called "HVC", the acronym is the proper name). This project will investigate the hypothesis that the serial ordering of song syllables is mapped across several spatially-arranged chains of HVC neurons. This hypothesis is based on preliminary data indicating that HVC neural activity is largely confined to a single spatial axis during singing. Experiments will delineate the spatial organization of connections and electrophysiological properties of HVC neurons. Computational models based on the properties of HVC neurons will then be used to discover network configurations that produce orderly, sequential patterns of neural activity. Models will be validated with circuit-breaking experiments in behaving birds. Results will provide a first look at a network architecture used by an animal brain to create order and sequence in behavior, which in turn will provide a computational platform to understand how the process of learning new behavioral sequences utilizes or shapes such architectures. The research plan coordinates the activity of a faculty research team from three different academic departments (Psychology, Mathematics and Statistics), providing graduate and undergraduate students with access to the expertise of faculty researchers outside their home departments. Computational software tools as well as data from this project will be made available to the public at http://www.math.fsu.edu/~bertram/software/birdsong/ and at http://www.songbirdscience.com.